Barry's Bikes

Something Different

2011-04-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

Barry dropped by your webmaster's house the other day with this fun vehicle. It's an inexpensive cruiser with a 49cc, 2-stroke bolt on engine. These kits come complete with a twist throttle and a hand clutch, and they're a load of fun to ride. There are also packages available that use a bottom bracket freewheel and jackshaft to direct power through the chainwheel, allowing the rider to take advantage of all the gearing available on the bike. Keep watching this space for details.

1972 Honda CL350

2010-10-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

One of the most distinctively American motorcycle designs in the "scrambler"- a street bike with off-road features, usually elevated exhaust pipe and wide, elevated handlebars. Honda's contribution to this fad was its CL series of the 60s and 70s- bikes more or less identical to CB-series bikes with the aforementioned cosmetic changes.

The CL350 was reportedly the least popular of the 350s of that era (it was built from 1968 through 1974) but not because it wasn't a solid, dependable bike. With a typically reliable Honda parallel twin producing a claimed 36HP, it was a fun bike with plenty of power. But while 350s were popular "big bikes" during much of the 50s and 60s, 1969 brought the CB750, which changed the rules of the game. The 350s were never as popular after that.

This particular '72 CL350 (in Candy Panther Gold) is currently getting a thorough tuneup and detailing job in Barry's garage.

2010 0cc Cruiser

2010-08-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Not all Barry's bikes have motors. This almost-brand new cruiser is available for sale or swap. Got anything you'd like to trade? [update: The bike's been sold.]

1984 Honda 200X

2010-08-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, Barry works on 3- and 4-wheelers too, from time to time. This one belongs to his friend Jason, and Barry's helping him get it back to spec. The 200x is powered by an OHC 199cc engine, and like most Honda 4-strokes, it has gobs of torque and is easy to ride. With a 6-speed transmission there isn't much terrain it can't handle. The wide rear axle made the 200X more stable than a lot of 3-wheelers, too, making it one of the best off-road trikes of that era.

1970 Suzuki TC90

2010-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

This may look pretty far gone to some, but after Barry's spent a few weeks (or months, depending on his schedule!) on it, it'll look like it just rolled out of the showroom. The tank is seriously dented and rusted, but the badges are there, and they're hard to come by. Compression is good, the wheels are cleaning up nicely, and the carb is ready to be reassembled. It'll be on the road before too long.

The TC90 may have a small engine, but it's a rotary valve engine, with an advertised 11HP at 7800RPM! That's pretty impressive for 90cc.

1990 Honda XR200

2010-05-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

The XR200 was a very popular trail bike made from around 1980 through 2002. Like all Honda trail bikes, it has a very wide power band, and is a very pleasant bike to ride. There are lighting kits available to make it street legal, and performance parts available to turn it into a competition bike as well. The XR200 was based on the XR125 engine, Honda's intent being to make a bike with almost as much power as the XR250, but a lot lighter in weight. Contemporary reviewers noted that the XR250 felt like an underpowered 500, while the XR200 felt like a hot 125.

This particular XR200 runs good, and looks good, too. But when Barry's done with it, it'll run even better, and it'll look a lot cleaner, too. Interested? You can contact Barry at the email address shown in the upper right hand corner of the page. (Update: It's gone.)

1973 Yamaha DT 175

2010-02-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

Haven't been any projects here in a while, but this Yamaha DT 175 just came into the garage. With a reed valve 171cc engine and a five-speed gearbox, the DT 175 was the best of the 1970s 175cc enduros, easily outrunning the Honda XL 175 we featured a while back.

At low revs the engine produced modest power, and even beginners felt comfortable on it. But it produced 16.5HP at 7,000RPMs- around 25% more than the XL175. This is a fun, rugged bike that's darn near indestructible.

1972 Suzuki TS-250: Last Look

2009-10-18T12:08:00.001-07:00

The 250 is almost done, and about to be delivered to its owner.

Metal has been polished, and in some cased, chromed

The hubs never looked that good coming out of the Suzuki factory!

Sand blasting, powder coating, painting, polishing...

If you have a treasured bike, Barry can make yours look better than new, too. Figure on budgeting about $2,000 to bring a bike to this state.

1972 TS 250 update

2009-10-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

The last time we looked in on this bike the restoration was well under way, and it was waiting for some replacement parts and some that had been sent out for polishing, coating, and plating. Take a look at the engine in the photo below- no Suzuki ever came out of the factory looking like that!

Check the closeup on the cylinder head, too:

And the new guard for the headlamp. You can also see the paintjob on the new front fender.

Not an inexpensive project, but well worth the money, I think. A rare bike in better than factory new condition.

Suzuki GT250 Update (3)

2009-10-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

The last time we looked in on this project bike, it had been cleaned up and was running, but still had some electrical issues. Since then there's been a change of plans, and Barry and Mark have decided to turn it into a custom cafe racer. Keep watching this blog for details.

JAWA Moped

2009-09-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

This Jawa moped showed up the other day with the request that Barry "get it running." Can do. although it is tempting to do a full restoration on a moped in such overall good condition.

Like many moped of the era, the Jawa uses a dual chain drive system- one for the pedals and one for the engine, making it a true moped, and making it easier to push start as well.

JAWA mopeds were not actually made by JAWA, but by Povazske Strojarne (PS) who sold them as Babettas. Through a marketing arrangement they were sold as JAWAs ouside of Czechoslovakia.

The 1993 division of Czechoslovakia into Slovakia and the Czech Republic put PS, its moped-making division, and Molotov, the distributor, into separate countries, and the complications from this put an end to Babetta (and thus JAWA) moped manufacture.

You can read more about JAWA moped history at www.jawamoped.com.

1975 Suzuki TS-250

2009-09-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

It's been two months since our last post here, as Barry's been pretty busy with a new job, but this bike should make the wait worthwhile. It's a 1974 Suzuki TS-250, one of the first really competitive enduro bikes to come out of Japan and challenge the dominance of the Spanish bikes from Bultaco, Montesa and KTM. It may not have the suspension travel and power of the latest bikes, but it's still a great ride, with an advertised 23HP at 6500RPM and a weight of just 245 pounds.

This particular bike has what looks like the original trial-type tires showing very little wear, and just 2320 miles on the clock:

It needs a chain, some rust cleanup, the usual carb cleaning and rebuild, and possibly some electrical work, but it should be a head turner when it's complete.

Here's a brochure from that era with more specifics:

1974 Kawasaki S1

2009-07-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Kawasaki caused a big stir when they released the three cylinder, 500cc H1 in 1969; they followed this up two years later with the 350cc S2, and today's featured bike, the 250cc S1.

The S1 was the smallest commercial triple ever made. While it gave owners of smaller bikes the opportunity to own a three cylinder motorcycle, there's just not all that much advantage in building a 250cc triple, especially when balanced against the increased width of the motor, the increased weight, and the increased number of parts.

The S1 and S2 were only made for a few years, which makes them a bit more rare than other bikes of that era- and in turn, much more collectible. There are a number of collectors out there who specialize in Kawasaki triples, form the S1 up to the 750cc H2. This particular bike belongs to a friend of Barry's, and is undergoing a complete carb rebuild as well as some cosmetic work.

1977 Kawasake KE100

2009-06-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

This bike is from the KE100's second year of production- the KE100 continued in production through 2001, which makes it one of very few motorcycles in continuous production for a quarter century without much change It's a peppy little bike, with a rotary-valve 2 stroke engine that produces a claimed 11HP at 7,500 RPM- not bad for 100cc. With the 5-speed transmission this bike has no trouble getting up to speed quickly. It would be a great first off-road bike for a lighter rider. And did I mention it's really pretty?

This particular bike has only 1700 miles on it. The first owner flipped it, and that scared him off off-road riding, so it's been sitting idle for a while. Barry bought it to fix up and sell, but he's been growing rather attached to it... so it just might stay a while longer.

1970 Yamaha R5 350cc

2009-06-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

The R5 was a piston-ported, 350cc bike that was the predecessor to the RD350. Even without the RD-series seven port, reed valve engine, the R5 was a fast bike that blew away a lot of surprised riders on bigger bikes. In fact, the R5 engines were so good that Don Vesco used two of them to build a Bonneville streamliner that went over 251mph in 1970. If you're interested in R5s, there's a good site devoted to them here.

This particular bike came in pretty much as you see it- a collection of parts waiting to be assembled. We'll visit it again once it's running.

GT250 Update (2)

2009-06-17T13:58:00.001-07:00

The engine is back together, turning easily, and running... on one cylinder. Looks like an ignition problem that should be easy to fix. And doesn't it look great?

Deconstruction

2009-06-17T13:38:00.001-07:00

Not all bikes are worth restoration. Some, like the Kawasaki 350 triple that this engine came from, end up getting disassembled to provide a supply of parts for more deserving bikes.

Once the heads and pistons are off comes the business of splitting the case. A large number of nuts are removed with the help of an impact wrench, and then comes the delicate business of whomping at the case with a soft hammer until...

The internals of the transmission are revealed. Even though the bike was pretty beat up the transmission showed almost no wear at all. The gears look like new, and the dogs that allow one gear to engage another have perfect square edges. Now, back to the business of repair and restoration...

GT250 Update

2009-06-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

As you can see, work has begun on the GT250 seen here last week. The first order of business was to get the motor turning again, and that's why the cylinder is not in its usual position. Barry says usually these can be freed up with a little penetrating oil and the application of leverage ot the crankshaft, but this one took a little more persuading.

Seen above are the tools used when for delicately moving seized pistons- a can of PB penetrating oil and what's known in the trade as a BFH, or a large hammer.

Schwinn Whizzer

2009-06-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

It's a reproduction, not an original, and was just passing through on its way up North. A few of us gathered to check out some of the curious features of this bike, like the odd 123cc four-stroke engine:

To start the bike, you turn on the gas, pull in the clutch lever with your left hand, and start pedaling. Once you're moving, you engage the decompression lever with your left thumb, and then release the clutch lever to engage the belt drive. If everything works right, the engine should fire and you can release the decompression lever. At that point you're driving a one-speed motorcycle with all the sophistication of a 1912 model, except you don't need to work a manual oiling pump to keep the engine from seizing up.

With its 123cc engine, the Whizzer would be classified as a motorcycle, not a moped, although I suspect very few of these are tooling around with cycle plates on them. I think most aren't sold to ride, but as pure collectibles, perhaps fired up a few times a year for a quick clandestine ride around the neighborhood, and then carefully cleaned and returned to the garage or basement.

1972 Kawasaki 350 S2

2009-06-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

Kawasaki came out with their first 2-stroke triple- the 500cc H1- in 1969. The H1 had acceleration described by at least one writer as "truly terrifying" and helped differentiate Kawasaki from other Japanese road bikes of the era. The 350cc S2 was introduced in 1972, and was an immediate hit. With 44HP available at 8,000RPM, Kawasaki advertised a top speed of 112MPH. Not too shabby.

This particular S2 has a few problems- the ignition switch is missing, as are some of the controls and the chain. The original air box has been replaced with three filters of the K&N type, maybe to replace a missing air box, maybe to give it that racer look:

And the shift lever definitely has a non-standard look:

But bigger challenges have passed through Barry's garage. Watch this space.

Ready Reference Manual

2009-06-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is why Barry seldom has to check the reference manual when working on Honda 4-stroke singles. All he needs is a mirror.

1975 Suzuki GT250

2009-06-09T18:09:00.001-07:00

Here's a Suzuki GT250 in a gorgeous magenta color that you don't see very often. These are fast bikes, producing 31 HP at 7,000RPM- enough, according to Suzuki, to propel this bike to 93MPH in stock form. And check out the ram air cooling, seen on GTs from 1972 up until part way through the 1975 model year. I imagine Suzuki finally decided it wasn't really necessary- but it did look cool, and helped make the Suzuki engines look very different from other 2-strokes of the era.

This one came in with some cosmetic issues, and an engine that's locked up solid. It should be running again very soon.

1972 TS250 Update

2009-06-08T16:16:00.001-07:00

You may recall the last time we saw this bike it looked very different. Here's a reminder:

As you can see in the first photo, it's being stripped down to the frame, which will be receive a fresh coat of paint. The next time you see it here, it should look like it just rolled off the showroom floor.

A Less Than Charming Scooter

2009-05-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

There are a lot o very inexpensive scooters being imported from China these days under a variety of brand names, and they all share one thing in common: Low quality- particularly when compared to scooters from makers like Honda, Yamaha, and other major makers. A lot of them have fuel tubing that is reportedly attacked by the ethanol in US gasoline. This results in leaky fuel lines, and gummed up carbs. Some have electric chokes that fail, or any one of a range of problems. This one had 243 miles on it when it showed up at Barry's for diagnosis.

First step was removing the carb- not as easy as it might be. The body panels, which are made of a thin and somewhat brittle material, are held on via a series of interlocking tabs and sheet metal screws. Some of the screws were already stripped. One panel had a tab broken off and refastened with adhesive tape- this on a brand new scooter!

Luckily, it was possible to wriggle the carb out through an access hole in the bottom of the storage compartment. Right now the carb is soaking in solvent. Next step: testing the electric choke. With luck this will be back on the road without too much labor and too many replacement parts- for more than 243 miles, this time. Fingers crossed.

UPDATE: It was indeed a clogged carb, and after some time soaking in solvent the carb was returned to the scooter, and after a fresh battery charge it started right up.

1975 Suzuki T500 R

2009-05-26T13:40:00.001-07:00

The Suzuki T500 was the first really successful big-bore two stroke twin on the market. Producing 47HP at 7,000 RPM, and capable of speeds of 110-120MPH, it could reportedly outrun a lot of 500cc and 650cc bikes. It was also noted for how smoothly it ran- especially when compared to 500cc single cylinder thumpers. The T500 was, and is, a tremendously reliable bike, with few reported problems. If you can find one today you can probably get it running without too much difficulty.

This one found its way to Barry's last week, and is about to undergo a complete restoration- the results of which will be documented here, of course!

2007 Suzuki DR-Z 400 - for sale

2009-05-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

The new DR-Z 400s list for $6099. How about a like new, 2007 DR-Z 400 with fewer than 100 miles on it- for $3500? A fantastic Enduro or Super Motard with the right tires. Contact Barry at the email address in the upper right hand section of this page.

UPDATE: It's out the door and heading up North.

Old School Chopper

2009-05-21T18:43:00.001-07:00

Young friend Chris is working on restoring this classic... slowly ;-) But with summer almost here he'll have a lot more time to work on it.

Ural Motorcycle and Sidecar

2009-05-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Back in 1939, of the eve of WWII, the Russians cloned the BMW R71 motorcycles and sidecars. Sixty years later, and they're still building the same bike... though not to the same standard. Until recently, that is. Now you can buy a Ural that's been pretty much rebuilt, with new front disc brakes, better wiring, and other improvements.

This particular Ural was just visiting, and not in for repair.

CB350: Progress Report

2009-05-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

The CB350 last seen here a few weeks ago has now been reassembled. Still has some cosmetic details to be attended to, and a bit more engine tuning, but it's almost ready for the road.

As a reminder, here's the bike as we last saw it:

1998 Yamaha Factory YZ250

2009-05-04T10:42:00.001-07:00

Motocross fans will recognize this bike that Barry campaigned for several years. It's a 1998 Yamaha YZ250- but not just any YZ250. This is Tim Ferry's Team Noleen factory race bike that he ran in five rounds of the 1998 250cc Supercross series. It's seen some hard riding since then, including a good many top place finishes. Currently retired and awaiting a complete rebuild, it'll be back on the racing circuit again before too long.

1969 Honda SL125

2009-04-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

The CL125 is the "Scrambler" version bike of the SS125A featured earlier. Before the term "Enduro" became popular for describing on/off road bikes, Honda used the term "Scrambler" to differentiate their motorcycles with upswept exhausts and skid plates. These were not really designed for serious off-road use, but the styling was very popular in the United States, where most of these bikes were sold.

The 1969 CL125 was the first Hondas to come standard with turn signals, and one of the last Scramblers to use the old style pressed steel frame. Most Hondas by then featured the more modern tubular frame, although the pressed steel design hung around for a few more years with the Cub and other 100cc and below motorcycles.

The CL125 was only produced for three years, 1967-1969, so not there are too many examples to be found. This particular bike is in very good shape, and was in the process of getting a good detailing when it was photographed. The exhaust system is a bit dented, and has had some holes repaired, and eventually will be replaced when a good NOS unit pops up. Until then, though, it looks pretty good, and it rides nicely, too.

1981 Suzuki RM125

2009-04-30T11:52:00.001-07:00

Now here's a major restoration project- this bike is going to be stripped down to a bare frame, repainted, and completely restored. Metal parts will be blasted, plastic parts replaced, and running gear replaced where necessary. It's going to be a big job, and not a cheap one, but it'll be worth it, because this is an important, historic bike in the annals of Motocross; Dirt Bike magazine features it in their Hall of Fame, and calls it "one of the best MX bikes of the last 25 years."

First off, this was the first of the liquid-cooled RMs- an important advance. Second, it was the first of the monoshock Suzukis, with its unique "full floater" suspension system. With this and other design features, the 1981 RM125 was, in many ways, the prototype of all successful motocross bike that followed for many years.

1972 Suzuki TS250

2009-04-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

You won't find too many Enduros more desirable than this example from Suzuki. With fewer than 2500 miles on the odometer, and rubber in surprisingly good condition, this bike looks like it was run briefly and then stored indoors for a few decades.

The TS250 was introduced in 1969 as a slightly detuned version of Suzuki's TM250 motocrosser. Producing 23 HP at 6500 rpm back when 250cc was considered big enough for most uses, it was a great performer both on and off road. And at a 1969 price of $800 ($4477 in 2008 dollars) it was very affordable.

1973 (?) Yamaha DT125

2009-04-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Another fun small bike from the 70s. First made in 1973, back when Yamaha and a few other makers were inventing the small off-road motorcycle. They're reliable, and parts are still reasonably plentiful. This one needs more than just a tuneup, but when it's done it should look and run great.

1968 Suzuki T500 Cobra

2009-04-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

Now here's a rare bike- you won't see many of these on the road. Introduced in 1968, the Cobra was the first successful 500cc two-stroke twin. It ran smoothly- more smoothly than some four stroke bikes. With the ability to produce 47HP at 9500RPM it could outrun a lot of 650cc bikes.

This example might not look like much- yet- but when the restoration job is complete it'll look like it just rolled off the showroom floor. We'll be seeing more photos of this bike- and an identical one that'll be coming to the shop soon- in future posts.

1971 Honda CB350

2009-04-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

1995 Honda Shadow 600 V-Twin

2009-04-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Honda Shadows have been made continuously since 1988, which means an awful lot of bikes have been sold here in the past 21 years. 583cc and 39 horsepower isn't all that impressive these days, when a 600cc bike is often termed a "beginner's motorcycle" (!) but it's still enough to cruise comfortably at highway speeds. (I've had cars with less power- [mike].)

The Shadow is a good, inexpensive cruiser and like all Hondas, reliable- unless, like this particular bike, you park the bike for a decade with a full tank. It didn't help that a previous owner had dropped the bike on the left side, either. But once the fuel system was cleaned out- no easy task- the bike started up and ran smoothly. Now it's just a matter of cleaning up the damage from being dropped and straghtening out the frame.

1983 Yamaha RX50

2009-04-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

This 1983 Yamaha RX50 is one of the smallest bikes that has passed through Barry's garage in the last few years, but it's also one of the most fun. With its 50cc engine and 5-speed gearbox, it's a great teaching machine, and Barry long ago lost count of how many people learned to ride on it. It was sold for a while but found its way back last year.

It's astoundingly reliable. Leave it parked all winter, and it starts with a single kick. Parts are plentiful as it shares the engine with the Yamaha YSR50. It's parked right now, as the gas tank finally rusted through at a seam, but it'll probably be back on the road before the summer is over... possibly in a very different form! Watch this site.

1971 Suzuki T1 Stinger 125cc

2009-04-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

Small 125cc 2-stroke twins aren't supposed to have much low end torque, but this Stinger pulls surprisingly well. The magazine writeups suggested you needed to rev it up to the redline (9000RPM) to get any power, and yet this bike pulls strongly even at 3000. And it makes a great sound, too. At low revs it's a quiet burble; twist the throttle and it roars.

Very few Stingers were sold in the US, making this one a rare find. After some cleanup and painting, cosmetically it's in great shape. It needed only a thorough carb cleaning to run smoothly. The tank was rusty, but phosphoric acid cleaned that up. What makes this one even more special is that it has remarkably low mileage- under 1900 miles. It even has the break-in sticker still on the speedo- see above.

1969 Honda SS125A

2009-04-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

The 1950s and 1960s Hondas with pressed steel frames had a beauty that's just not there in the later tubular frame motorcycles. This 1969 Super Sport 125 is a perfect example. It's not particularly fast, but it's about as pretty a bike as Honda ever made. The two cylinders firing in-phase make a distinctive sound and produce more low end torque than engines with 180 degree timing.

This one is in excellent shape over all, but still in need of some restoration. The right-hand muffler was dented from an incorrect kick start lever hitting it; it and the lever need replacing. The fork boots need replacing as well. New old stock (NOS) parts are not as readily available for this bike as they are for 1970s and 80s motorcycles, but there are some good replacement levers coming out of China.

Honda claimed 158mpg for this bike, and I wouldn't doubt it. Light weight, small displacement, and 4-stroke design result in very low fuel consumption.

1974 Honda CB125S

2009-04-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

Another bike with very few miles on the odometer that made its way into Barry's garage for some restoration. It was first seen on Craigslist, then on eBay, where it was snagged for slightly less than the seller was asking on Craigslist. New tires (of course), new clutch and throttle cables, and a new ignition switch cable were the first changes. The carb was cleaned and adjusted, the timing chain tension adjusted, and now it starts on the first kick and runs strong. (It's getting a tuneup and detailing now and then owner Mike is putting it up for sale.)

The CB125S is a simple OHC thumper that was imported into the US from 1973 to 1985. It'll cruise at 55, and easily gets 100mpg at slower speeds. These bikes will last for many years so long as you're absolutely religious about changing the oil at least every 1000 miles- preferably every 700. The one weak point of the engine is the cam shaft bearings, which are simple journal bearings machined into the head. Once they wear, you can either have the heads machined to take roller bearings- a project that will cost several hundred dollars- or simply find a new head.

The CB125S was replaced in Asia and Europe with the CG125, and almost identical motorcycle that featured a simpler pushrod OHV engine in place of the CB's OHC engine. This was reportedly done to make the bike more rugged for use in the third world, where oil changes can be an expensive luxury. The CG125 engine develops slightly less power, but top speed and mileage are similar.

1973 Honda XL175

2009-04-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Honda XL175 was never known as a competitive Enduro bike, but it does a lot of fans, mostly because it's a fun and reliable bike (like just about all Hondas) that has plenty of torque and is easy to ride. The drum brakes work fine, although they're said to have some fade after heavy off-road riding. If it has a flaw, it is that it is reputed to be prone to breaking kick start shafts- although I suspect that may be due to abuse.

Shown here is a 1973 model- the first year the XL175 was made, and along with the 74s and 75s, probably the best of the lot. In 1976 the tachometer was deleted, leaving only a speedometer, and in 1977 and 78, the battery and turn signals were removed, making the bike less desirable for on-road use.

This example was found locally, with low miles but a bit of rust and a hole in the exhaust. Barry brazed the exhaust and painted it, and it looks pretty much like new. There's still a bit of rust on the frame that'll get addressed when the wheels are removed, and a few scratches on the plastic fenders that can be sanded out. The last step is replacing the tires, which look good but show a lot of signs of cracking- not unexpected in 35 year old rubber.

It's easy to start, although it's smart to take up the slack and give the bike one solid downward kick. Carelessness can result in a nasty kickback that will surprise the unwary.